Author: Festus Adeloye

A court in the United States has sentenced five Nigerians, Damilola Kumapayi, Sandra Iribhogbe Popnen, Edgal Iribhogbe, Chidindu Okeke and Chiagoziem Okeke, to over 159 years of combined jail term for $17 million fraud. Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, Jay R. Combs announced this in a statement published on the website of the Department of Justice. Combs said the Texas residents being transnational organised criminals were sentenced by US District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III on Monday, June 16, for defrauding over 100 Americans, companies and government entities to the tune of $17 million. Kumapayi, 39,…

The Lagos State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday officially presented party flags to its 57 chairmanship and 376 councillorship candidates for the 12 July Local Government Elections. The party also launched its campaign for the council at the event held at the APC State Secretariat, Ogba. Speaking at the ceremony, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by Mrs Abimbola Salu Hundeyin, the Secretary to the State Government, assured the candidates of the government’s support to help them emerge victorious in the election. “The love I have for this party is unquantifiable. I am with all the candidates; this…

Mustapha Salihu, the National Vice Chairman (Northeast) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has explained why he chose to endorse President Bola Tinubu and not Vice President Kashim Shettima. While speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday, Salihu clarified that Shettima was omitted from his endorsement during Sunday’s APC North-East summit in Gombe because it was in line with party convention and constitutional provisions. “In my full speech—the last paragraph before the endorsement—I eulogised Kashim Shettima, recognising him as our son and expressing that we stand by him as people of the North-East. “I also appreciated…

Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, has slammed President Bola Tinubu for failing to visit Benue State despite the ongoing killings. Obi said in a Monday morning post on X that it demonstrated Tinubu’s disregard for human life. He cited occurrences in India and South Africa as examples of excellent leadership when tragedy strikes. Tinubu’s response to the killings of more than 200 people by herdsmen in Benue state has sparked worldwide indignation. The president’s message came about 24 hours after the catastrophe, with Pope Leo offering his sympathies much earlier. Obi wrote: “Sadly, the…

Search teams have recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the site of last week’s Air India crash, a key component which could shed light on the cause of the disaster. The cockpit voice recorder was found in the wreckage in the western city of Ahmedabad, the government said on Monday. The flight data recorder had been retrieved earlier. Investigators hope the two recorders, commonly referred to as black boxes will help them determine what went wrong on Thursday, when the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down shortly after take-off and burst into flames. The voice recorder captures cockpit conversations, while the data…

There was chaos at the meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in the North- East, on Sunday, after Comrade Mustapha Salihu, National Vice Chairman of the ruling in the North-East, failed to mention the name of Vice-President Kashim Shettima while endorsing President Bola Tinubu for a second term. The meeting, which was held in Gombe State, was attended by virtually all ministers, lawmakers, and governors of the party from the region. Abdullahi Ganduje, National Chairman of the APC, also led some key personalities to the event. When it was the turn of Salihu to speak, he endorsed Tinubu…

Former UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman displayed a commanding performance on Saturday, besting Joaquin Buckley via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC Atlanta at State Farm Arena. The victory marked the end of Usman’s three-fight losing streak and was his first win since 2021 in a five-round welterweight main event. The fight was scored 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favour of Usman, 38, and the Nigerian could barely contain his emotions after the encounter. “It’s been a while. I needed to get that monkey off my back. I know I’m still able to do this at the highest…

Irate youths in Benue State took to the streets to protest on Sunday, blocking the Abuja-Makurdi highway in an expression of anger over the incessant killings in the state by suspected herdsmen. Dressed in black and wielding palm fronds and placards with various inscriptions, the demonstrators barricaded the busy road, disrupting the flow of traffic while demanding an end to the bloodshed. The protest resulted in panic among commuters as vehicles were prevented from passing the route. The development comes 24 hours after a deadly attack was launched by suspected herdsmen on Yelewata community in Guma Local Government Area, resulting…

The Executive Chairman of Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area in Lagos State, Prince Musibau Adekunle Asafa, has died after a prolonged illness. His death, which has plunged the council and its community into mourning, was announced in a statement posted on Facebook on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Bodunrin Ayodele. “Oto-Awori Local Council Development Area is in mourning following the passing of its Executive Chairman, Prince Musibau Adekunle Asafa,” the statement read. “Prince Asafa, a respected politician, leader and dedicated public servant, succumbed to a prolonged illness, leaving behind a legacy of service and commitment to the people he…

Following backlash over its planned prayer sessions to achieve food security for Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has suspended its earlier directive for prayer and fasting sessions ‘for God’s guidance and success in supporting the government’s efforts to achieve food security.’ A leaked internal circular, dated June 11 and signed by the Ministry’s Director of Human Resource Management, Mrs. Adedayo Modupe O., had invited top-level staff, including directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and value chain desk officers, to participate in a series of weekly spiritual gatherings at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. The prayer initiative, tagged…